Jospin's Speech Hits Shares

The CAC 40 index of most actively traded French stocks shed 12.05 points to 2739.69. The index fell more than 38 points on Mr. Jospin's remarks from an midday high of 2790.19. Volume was high at 10.5 billion francs worth of shares traded.

Mr. Jospin called for a re-examination of layoff regulations, announced a 4%-increase in...